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| Cover courtesy manesy.org |
Kafka On Shore
Author : Haruki Murakami
First Published Year : 2002
Origin : Japan
"That things in life fated by our previous lives. That even in the smallest events there's no such thing as coincidence"
Kafka on Shore is another worldwide-best seller from the hands of Haruki Murakami, Japanese Famous Author.
Since reading 1Q84, 12th novel of Murakami, I submit myself of the big fans of Murakami's artwork. May be it would be better if I read Murkami's work based on time orderly so I could understand the change of his writing style from time to time.
Like any other Murakami's book, Kafka on shore is consist of suspense, magical reality, and how should i put it? hmm..unusual sexes theme.
Kafka on shore is story about two different main character (just like 1Q84) whom somehow related but always crossing the each other path. The main character is Kafka Tamura. Yes name of Kafka is unusual for Japanese name, in fact Kafka is not a true name of 15 year old boy whom runaway from home on his 15th birthday. He choose name of Kafka as an honor for the writer Franz Kafka.
Kafka Tamura (the true name never revealed to the reader) chose to runaway from home, leaving his father-a famous sculpture, Koichi Tamura. His mother and his adopted sister leaving him with his father when he was a child and leave him a big question mark why would his mother abandoning him. Bring only his back pack, he hop on train and went to a private library on Takamatsu. In that library, He met Oshima, a 21 years old gay transgender man and Miss Saeki, 50 years old women whom resembles Kafka on his mother.
The Second story is telling about Mr. Nakata, an old man whom lost many of his mental faculties when, as one of sixteen schoolchildren out on a mushroom-gathering field-trip toward the end of World War II, he was rendered unconscious following a mysterious flash of light in the sky. After losing his mental faculties, Nakata is able to speak with cat in their cats language. One day, Nakata has been asked to search missing cat, Goma. After days of wandering around and found no result, Nakata met Mimi, a brilliant Siamese cat and told Nakata that there is a place where he may be able to locate Goma. Turns out, that place leads Nakata to serial accidents.
Meanwhile, after found out that his father die in brutal murderous, Kafka Tamura is chased by the police to be interrogated about the murder but instead of showing his self, Kafka, assisted by Oshima, hide his self in a small cabin in a private mountain.
The rest of story is about the magical reality after the death of Koichi Tamura, like the rain of leeches, and the sexual relationship between Kafka and 16 years old of Miss Saeki.
Just like I said earlier, this book is content of suspense whereas the reader is brought to world between reality, dream, and magical events. If you are hate any fantasy or non-reality story, I am not recommend you to read this book. But hey, there is nothing simple and realistic about Murakami's instead of the labyrinth of the character's mind.
Yes, I am the type of realistic reader, I mean I'd prefer realistic story even it is fiction, but I don't mind with 1Q84 with 30% of realistic, but this Kafka on shore, 50% is unrealistic and illogical. But why I force my self to finish it because it is Murakami. I love to read the deep, meaningful, realistic conversations between the characters. It is like every word is quote and a very applicable in our life.
And like any other Murakami's novel, there is always story about another famous book, and classic composition. One thing that I really love from Murakami, it is always rich of literature and new knowledge.
Well, overall this book is suspense, even at the very end, the reader still leave her/his self on a riddle, even Murakami suggests the reader to reading over several times to really understand this book. Not one of my favorite, but still masterpiece.
"In everybody's life there's a point of no return. And in a very few cases, a point where you can't go forward anymore. And when we reach that point, all we can do is quietly accept the fact. That's how we survive."
You can download the ebook version of Kafka on shore from here
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